Should I microchip my pet?
Pet microchips are becoming increasingly popular around the world. But along with it’s popularity increases, the debate over microchipping animals has heated up as well. And even as some cities are passing laws to mandate them, other pet owners would like to see them outlawed. In this article, we try and shed some light on mysteries behind microchipping.
What is a microchip?
A pet microchip consists of a tiny tube (about the size of a grain of rice) that is inserted under the skin. For consistency, it is almost always placed on the left side near shoulder height. The process is a very quick, cheap, and painless. It carries a number in it that will identify the owner by name and address. The database also contains other relevant information, such as the cat’s health problems. For example, if your lost diabetic cat got picked up, her condition could be treated. All veteranarian offices and animal shelters are supposed to have a reading device for the microchip so animals can be easily identified.
Why should I ‘chip’ my pet?
All it takes to lose a pet is momentary distraction, an overexcited child, or an unaware in-home worker and you pet is gone in an instant. Sadly, once a pet is lost the odds are against it finding its way home again. According to the American Humane Association, only about 17% of lost dogs and 2% of lost cats ever find their way back from shelters to their original owners. Almost 20 million pets are euthanized every year because their owners can’t be found.
Are there reasons why I should not microchip my pet?
Perhaps the most frequently cited objection is the cost ($25-45 per pet). Aside from that, the chip is implanted with an injection, and requires no anesthesia. Since the microchip is sealed in a sterile capsule, there is very little chance for infection or rejection. And finally, since the chip requires no power it never needs replacing.
Which company should I get my microchip from?
Your pets health care provider will probably choose for you. But, you should know what chip they are installing and how it affects your pet’s safety. AVID and Home Again 125 kHz microchips can be scanned by all scanners presently in US animal shelters. To date, these brand of microchips have been placed in over 8 million pets in the United States. However, last year Banfield Pet Hospital (located in Petsmart stores) has recently adopted a 134.2kHz ISO microchip called RecoveryChipthat is manufactured by a european company. 134.2kHz microchips are also manufactured by Amercian companies Pethealth Services and Allflex. The decision about 134.2 or 125kHz is an import one because according to the The Humane Society of the United States the nation’s animal shelters may not have scanning devices that can read or detect the 134.2kHz pet identification microchips. Multiple lawsuits have been filed regarding the 134.2kHz chips. Until the debate settles, I would advise that you stick with the widely accepted chips from AVID or Home Again.
The bottom line
Unless your pet has a big brother complex, there is little reason not to microchip you pet. However, until the legal battles shake out we urge pet owners to make sure their pets are wearing collars and tags.
November 27th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
I have a microchip in my purebred Yorkshire Terrier that doesnt help me find him at all. He was stolen in September of 06. If someone takes him into a vet, and IF the vet scans his chip (IF, because they dont HAVE to scan ANY pet, anytime, and some vets, openly dont scan), then if the vet verifies the ownership info and find out that my Roo is listed as lost/stolen, the what do you think happens??? The vet doesnt have to do anything. They might call SPCA, maybe. The vet may not connact me, and might send my boy home with the people who brought him in. IF I hear about it, if someone lets me know where his is, I may have to sue the people to get my baby home. The OPP may feel it is a civil thing.
Ive talked to alot of people, this is where I got my information. Ive talked to vets, humane society, microchip companies, OPP, etc … I seems to me, and I may be wrong, but, that the mircochips, as they are now, do not work for lost/stolen pet retieval. They might be wonderful for people who travel with their animals or for breeders, but not for everyday pet owners.
Is there is a GPS chip availible?
November 27th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Excellent comments. Vets are unlikely to scan any animal unless they have no one claiming it. It is partly about liability, and partly because there are so many homeless animals that any animal with a home is a blessig to them. Hence, stolen pets are very unlikely to be scanned. Lost pets (at least here in the US) are a different story as all government operated animal shelters are supposed to be equipped and scanning every animal.
As for suing, that wouldn’t happen in my case. I’d probably just drive over and inform them that I was taking my animal back with me now. I’d also make it quite clear that I would do so over their dead body should it be neccessary. Obviously, I don’t recommend that course of action for anyone else…
AFAIK, there is no consumer GPS chip because size and power requirements make it unfeasible. There are a few portable GPS trackers, but the smallest I have seen is about the size of a deck of cards and only has 3-5 day battery life. Obviously, a thief would PROMPTLY discard any such device they noticed.
Sincerely,
Philip D.
http://www.OdorDestroyer.com
November 27th, 2006 at 9:53 pm
> I guess research and development is needed for a
> suitable GPS chip for pets.
The problem is simply one of power and size. A microchip is so small because it has no power source and obtains it’s power from the scanner. Also, a microchip need only transmit a very small unique identifier string. A GPS locator must contain complete receive and transmit circuits, along with a processor to decode the GPS satellite signals into coordinates for re-broadcast back to a satellite.
In short, the smallest cell phone you can think of is about as good as it gets for size AND battery life. And they are priced about $1200 USD. If those are not issues for you, google this: “animal tracking via GPS”
Philip
November 28th, 2006 at 11:05 am
So you mean there will be a solution, its just years down the road. R & D, and a few million dollars. If I had any dollars, I’d working on it, oh, and any knowhow in micro technology.
Meanwhile, in this century, the solution seems to be to get everyone working on the same page, communicating. Now that will be almost as tough as getting the millions of dollars. The microchips are a community commitment. If a vet recommends, sells and implants them, they (ethically) need to scan pets who do not have a history at their clinic, and/or when their own inner radar goes off about a pet. Microchip companies, and the vet assocations may need to send out bulletins to vets about missing/lost/stolen pets, as some vets will not scan without a recent notice. Most important, and this is where there seems to be major problems, is everyone needs to know what to do when a pet is scanned and a discrepency is found. The person who brought the pet in, isn’t the registered owner and the pet is listed as lost/stolen. Vets seems to be lost as what to do next.
Honestly I’m not surprized. The information I’ve been given is vague at best. They can notify the microchip company, then what? They aren’t told to keep the pet, or to turn it over to a higher authority (I mean animal control or OPP, not GOD). So the pet often goes back with however brought it in. If and when the real owner is notified, they have to find a way to retrieve their pet. The real owner may have to sue to get their loved one back. Oh, and apparently the microchip is not always proof of ownership. Isn’t that wonderful.
All the R & D work doesn’t seem so hard now, does it?
November 29th, 2006 at 5:09 pm
I have been a practicing veterinarian for years and now host a call in talk radio show Ask the Vet Radio. I get lots of questions about lost pets and, in fact, did an entire show on lost pets. If you are interested in hearing that segment or others you can go to http://www.askthevetradio.com and listen to archieved shows.
As for the comments on the blog, I need to clear up a few things.
Veterinarians, first and formost, are in their proffession because they care about the animals. Most veterinarians scan all new animals, including puppies and kittens, if for no other reason than to make sure the animal does not get a second microchip. I personally have never met someone who would not return a microchipped animal to their owner; but if I did I would contact that animals owner myself. I would not advocate a product that helps an owner to locate their loved one and then not participate in the process. I would not slough off a situation with “oh, at least that animal has home, let’s move on”, I take my role as an animal caregiver seriously.
There are no laws to require scanning, in fact there are few laws that protect animals from abuse, so the responsibilty falls on the pet owner.
Protecting pets from becoming lost is a multi-tiered process, much like disaster planning. There is no “silver bullet” to insure their return, not even a microchip.
What I tell pet owners is do everything possible to insure a return; this includes identification tags, tatoos, microchip, and GPS. And I would do them all if you can afford it.
There are cost effective and small GPS collars (Global Pet Finder) that work by calling your cell phone the moment the pet leaves a defined area. It continues calling every 3 minutes with a location, even if they are inside. These GPS systems also work well when traveling, and they are affordable, under $300.00.
Tatooing is easy and permanent. If an animal comes in to a veterinary clinic with a tatoo, that animal will be investigated. Tatoos are visible, no scanning.
For every lost pet there is a heartbroken person who awaits their return, please know that your veterinarians never forget that.
November 30th, 2006 at 6:37 am
I am very pleased to report that The American Microchip Advisory Council for Animals (AMACA) has announced plans to build a national database of all the pet microchips in the USA.
Once established, lost pets with microchips can be reported to AMACA directly. AMACA will identify the manufacturer and provide the toll-free number for that manufacturer. This will allow veterinarians, shelters, and rescues to easily identify any microchip.
Visit AMACA at: http://www.amacausa.org/
September 8th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/08/AR2007090800997_pf.html
read this article before considering chipping your pet. i had my cats done a while back as a requirement on a military installation (and i never ended up on one, anyway). i regret it now.
November 21st, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Go with Home Again NOT AVID. I have 7 pets with AVID and am going with Home Again now. A last reason is AVID CHARGES pet owners to change their addresses and Home Again does not. I was military for 26 years and AVID really ticked me off doing this.